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Bosnia

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Background: Bosnia and Herzegovina's declaration of sovereignty in October 1991 was followed by a declaration of independence from the former Yugoslavia on 3 March 1992 after a referendum boycotted by ethnic Serbs. The Bosnian Serbs - supported by neighboring Serbia and Montenegro - responded with armed resistance aimed at partitioning the republic along ethnic lines and joining Serb-held areas to form a "Greater Serbia." In March 1994, Bosniaks and Croats reduced the number of warring factions from three to two by signing an agreement creating a joint Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 21 November 1995, in Dayton, Ohio, the warring parties initialed a peace agreement that brought to a halt three years of interethnic civil strife (the final agreement was signed in Paris on 14 December 1995). The Dayton Peace Accords retained Bosnia and Herzegovina's international boundaries and created a multi-ethnic and democratic government charged with conducting foreign, diplomatic, and fiscal policy. Also recognized was a second tier of government composed of two entities roughly equal in size: the Bosniak/Bosnian Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska (RS). The Federation and RS governments were charged with overseeing most government functions. The Dayton Accords also established the Office of the High Representative (OHR) to oversee the implementation of the civilian aspects of the agreement. The Peace Implementation Council (PIC) at its conference in Bonn in 1997 also gave the High Representative the authority to impose legislation and remove officials, the so-called "Bonn Powers." In 1995-96, a NATO-led international peacekeeping force (IFOR) of 60,000 troops served in Bosnia to implement and monitor the military aspects of the agreement. IFOR was succeeded by a smaller, NATO-led Stabilization Force (SFOR) whose mission was to deter renewed hostilities. European Union peacekeeping troops (EUFOR) replaced SFOR in December 2004; their mission is to maintain peace and stability throughout the country. EUFOR's mission changed from peacekeeping to civil policing in October 2007, with its presence reduced from nearly 7,000 to less than 2,500 troops. Troop strength at the end of 2010 stood at roughly 1,500. In January 2010, Bosnia and Herzegovina assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2010-11 term.Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and CroatiaArea land: 51,187 sq kmArea water: 10 sq kmCoastline: 20 kmCountry name conventional long form: noneCountry name conventional short form: Bosnia and HerzegovinaCountry name former: People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Socialist Republic of Bosnia and HerzegovinaPopulation: 4,622,163 (July 2011 est.)Age structure: 0-14 years: 14% (male 333,989/female 313,234); 15-64 years: 71% (male 1,655,669/female 1,625,750); 65 years and over: 15% (male 283,233/female 410,288) (2011 est.);Population growth rate: 0.008% (2011 est.)Birth rate: 8.89 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)Death rate: 8.8 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)Sex ratio: at birth: 1.074 male(s)/female; under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female; 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female; 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female; total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2011 est.);Infant mortality rate: total: 8.67 deaths/1,000 live births; male: 9.95 deaths/1,000 live births; female: 7.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.);Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.81 years; male: 75.25 years; female: 82.63 years (2011 est.);Total fertility rate: 1.27 children born/woman (2011 est.);HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2007 est.);HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 900 (2007 est.);HIV/AIDS - deaths: 100 (2001 est.);Nationality: noun: Bosnian(s), Herzegovinian(s); adjective: Bosnian, Herzegovinian;Ethnic groups: Bosniak 48%, Serb 37.1%, Croat 14.3%, other 0.6% (2000);

note: Bosniak has replaced Muslim as an ethnic term in part to avoid confusion with the religious term Muslim - an adherent of Islam